He Loves Me, Loves Me Not
by gyrlonfilm
Summary: Ginny returns to Hogwarts for her 6th year amid war and sees someone who is the means for ruining her happiness. Draco Malfoy.... Chapter One up!


**A/N: **Well this is my attempt at a second fan fic, the first one I had extreme writer's block, and perhaps someday I'll pick it up again. Anyways, this is for one of my favorite pair, Draco and Ginny. This is Ginny's sixth year, Draco's 7th. First chapter has some cannon and my own interpretation of what happened after book six, with some obvious changes!!  Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I own nada thing!!!!

**He Loves Me, Loves Me Not**

**Chapter One**

Ginny sat gazing out of the window of the Hogwarts Express. She looked over and saw Ron and Hermione arguing noisily. Luna sat with the latest copy of the Quibbler, pearl onion earrings bobbing back and forth to the motion of the train. Neville snored, his head against the glass doorway. This seemed like a normal ordinary trip to Hogwarts, but one person was missing…..Harry Potter.

Flashback

It had been a rough summer. Just a few months ago, Harry went off with Ron and Hermione almost the whole summer looking for you know who's horcruxes. Harry had left Ginny with no promises before him and the rest of the golden trio left to who knows where. She spent the summer worried, stuck at number 12 Grimmauld place, Harry's inheritance, worried that she would hear that the man she cared about was dead.

Harry, Ron and Hermione had traveled all over England it seemed; looking for clues to what could be a horcrux. They first visited Harry's parent's home, Godric's Hollow. After an intensive search, they finally found a horcrux hidden deep within the rubble of Harry's infant home.

It was Rowena Ravenclaw's eagle statue which oddly enough was owned by Lily Potter, and immediately Harry found a way to destroy it. That was score one for the good side, and the trio thought luck had been on their side. After near misses with some deatheaters in Derbyshire and no luck of any more horcruxes, Ron and Hermione finally decided to return to Grimmauld place in mid July, while Harry went back to Privet drive to continue his mother's protection until his 17th birthday. Finally in August, Harry came back to Sirius' old house and stayed until he was ready to venture out again.

Ginny had grown bored during the summer and was grateful for the company. She was surprised when in the third week of August; a grey owl came in through the window of Grimmauld place. She was helping her mum prepare dinner, and went over to greet it. The owl nipped her lightly on her finger and she brought it a bowl of water for it to drink out of. Tied to the owl's legs were four letters. Ginny looked oddly at them and saw the seal of Hogwarts on the back of the envelopes.

"That's odd," Ginny said, "Mum, these just arrived from Hogwarts."

Molly Weasley, a plump witch with wiry hair went over to her youngest daughter. She took the envelopes out of her hands, minus one and glanced at the address.

"I guess Minerva decided to re-open Hogwarts after all."

Ginny didn't hear her mother at all. She eagerly opened her Hogwarts letter searching for her O.W.L.S. results. She scanned her finger down the rows of letters and comments, and whooped for joy!

"I did it mum, I got all E's. That's 11 O.W.L.S."

"What are you going on about, E's on what." Molly stared at her only daughter confused. "Oh gracious, your O.W.L.S. results of course, how could I forget?" She went over and glanced at the top marks. "We'll celebrate tonight of course, though I don't know if this means you'll be going back to Hogwarts."

Ginny immediately looked crestfallen. She had spent her whole summer cooped up in the old dingy house, she looked forward to some normal interaction, conversation that didn't loom with the war, death, horcruxes, the order, she was sick of it all. Everyone she knew was involved in the destruction of he-who-must-not-be-named.

At that Harry, Ron, and Hermione tread into the kitchen. Ginny sat disappointed on a stool as her brother went over to the stove to see what was cooking. He glanced over at the table Ginny was at and saw the letters.

"Are those from Hogwarts?" Ron inquired, grabbing an envelope with his name on it.

At the mention of Hogwarts, Harry perked up and went over to the table, Hermione followed suit. The next couple of minutes were spent in quiet as the three perused their letter.

"Signed, Minerva McGonagall, headmistress of Hogwarts," Harry spat out. He threw the letter down and said, "how can she possibly think of re-opening Hgowarts after everything that happened?" He thought back to the deatheater attacks which had resulted in the death of former headmaster of Hogwarts, Albus Dumbledore.

"Dumbledore would've wanted Hogwarts to be open Harry," Hermione said, "he would have wanted a safe place for students to go, homes in the wizarding world are more dangerous now with attacks a day."

"Hogwarts the safest, yeah right, has it slipped your mind what happened just months ago Hermione. If Malfoy can sneak deatheaters into the school, which's to say that any Slytherin with a brain, save Crabbe and Goyle, couldn't find a way to do it again."

Hermione remained quiet as she pondered what Harry said.

Ginny piped up. "Well I for one am happy that Hogwarts is opening. While the three of you have been gallivanting around the country, I've been stuck here twiddling my thumbs all summer." She looked at Harry's shocked face.

"You'll not be going," Molly said from the stove, clouds of steam billowing around her hair making it bigger than ever, "by Merlin's beard you will stay here and be home schooled until it is safe out there again."

Ginny exclaimed, "Mum, you can't do that. You can't expect me to remain here while all my friends go back to school."

"Ginny, who's to say anyone would want to go back," said Hermione, "I mean I've already heard of some wizard families leaving the country, or sending their children to other wizarding schools just to avoid the trouble. Things have changed Ginny, Harry is right."

"Yeah," said Ron between mouthfuls of food he had taken from the icebox, "it's rough out there."

"WELL I WOULDN'T KNOW AFTER BEING COOPED UP IN HERE ALL SUMMER WITHOUT A WORD FROM THE OUTSIDE WORLD. WE DON'T EVEN RECEIVE THE DAILY PROPHET ANYMORE. I CAN'T READ TEEN WITCH WEEKLY, NOR CAN I RECEIVE LETTERS FROM ANY OF MY FRIENDS. ITS LIKE VOLDEMORT HAS WON ALREADY."

Ron shuddered at the sound of Voldemort's name. Ginny ran from the room dropping her Hogwarts letter and its contents, bumping into her father Arthur who just entered the kitchen. He looked after his teen daughter and began to pick up the papers, Harry helping him. Harry glanced at Ginny's O.W.L. results and looked at the door.

"What's that," said Hermione, "oh….poor Ginny."

"Wow, I'm impressed," said Harry, reading the results for a second time.

"What, did Ginny get a scholarship or something," said Ron between mouthfuls.

"Ron, you'll ruin your dinner," said Mrs. Weasley swatting at Ron with a dishtowel, "its Ginny's O.W.L. results. Arthur, you must talk to Ginny and tell her that she cannot go back to Hogwarts."

"Hogwarts. Funny Molly, we all know it is closed for good."

"Well according to Minerva McGonagall, it will be open!"

"I didn't hear anything about that."

"Well if you would pull yourself out of the grip of the ministry once in a while you would know what is going on in this family."

Ron, Harry, and Hermione took this as a cue to leave. The three retreated out of the kitchen before they got sucked into the debacle, which had become a regular occurrence since the war began. Ron and Hermione had finally been bitten by the love bug since returning from traveling, went upstairs to take a nap in their room (Molly had disagreed with this arrangement, and Arthur has stood up for the couple saying that they were of age, which of course had resulted in another argument.)

Harry decided to go find Ginny. He traveled to the conservatory, one of his favorite spots and saw Ginny looking out the window, picking petals off of the flowers of some poor plant.

At his footsteps, Ginny automatically said, "Leave me alone Harry, I don't want to hear how you all are trying to protect poor young, Ginevra Weasley from the big bad world. Well let me tell you something Harry. I can protect myself very well indeed. I didn't grow up with six older brothers for nothing."

Harry stood looking at his feet. "I wasn't going to say a word. I was actually just coming to see if you wanted some company, but I didn't expect to have my head bit off."

Ginny turned to Harry. "Sorry. It's just that I need some sort of normalcy among all this chaos and depression. You should know how it feels to not know what's going on, feeling cut off from the outside world," she said referring to the summer before Harry's 5th year when he spent his time cooped up at Privet drive without much contact from anyone in the wizarding world. Harry remembered feeling upset and angry at his best friends Ron and Hermione.

"I guess I can relate. Ginny, you really don't know how bad it is out there." Harry said, wincing a bit from his scar. "So many have died already, and I feel like I have so much more to do."

"Well why don't you try confiding in me like you used to, and stop treating me like a little kid.

Ginny looked at Harry whose face had taken on a tired haunted look. She remembered back to those months ago when Harry first kissed her after winning the Quidditch final. She thought that her wildest dreams were finally coming true. They had spent those weeks after catching up after many years of feeling like they have been apart. Harry confided in Ginny, and Ginny did the same. When Harry went off on his travels, he had told Ginny not to wait for him. Ginny's heart had broken into little pieces, but still a part of her hoped for things to return to the way they were when he came back. The day they kissed seemed like a lifetime ago.

"If I would've thought that the place I have always thought of as home would become a nightmare, I never would've initially gone," said Harry after some time thinking of Hogwarts. He ran his fingers through his unruly hair and sighed. "I never thought that things would get like this."

"Harry, we can't predict the future. We also can't give up on our lives, hopes and dreams just because evil is out there. Do you think that Dumbledore would have wanted all the happiness to not continue, people to not love each other or have friendship and camaraderie's continue because of it? No. He would have kept Hogwarts open if he were still alive despite what would happen. I think that McGonagall is going by his wishes alone."

"It's a death trap Ginny," Harry argued, shaking his head, hair falling into his face. "At least, it's a death trap if I go back there." He stood up and paced around the room, thinking hard.

"What do you mean…are you considering not going back?"

"What else can I do, as long as I am at Hogwarts, everyone is in danger. I always knew I wouldn't finish. I have a job to do, kill Voldemort. If I'm not at Hogwarts, then there is no reason for Voldemort to bring his focus there. Dumbledore is gone….it just makes sense."

"But Harry, you'll be safe at Hogwarts. You'll have all the resources to research possible horcruxes, plus, it's your 7th year!" Ginny exclaimed and walked over to Harry, stopping his pacing by placing her hands on his shoulders.

Ignoring her he said, "Ginny, I think you should go back to Hogwarts. You're right, stopping life doesn't make things better, it doesn't win the war."

Ginny let go of his shoulders and glanced at him with surprise. "Do you really mean that?" she grinned.

"You won't be in any danger, so why not. I'll talk to Ron and Hermione and see if they can't convince your mum that you should go back." Ginny threw her arms around Harry and kissed him on the lips. Harry stood still as a statue and pulled her off of him.

"What?" she asked.

"Sit. I know we never resolved what happened between us."

Ginny sat down on a nearby window seat and pulled a daisy from its spot. She began picking off the petals slowly.

"Well," said Harry continuing, "As I said Ginny, it is dangerous for you to be with me."

"Whose choice was that Harry, you sure didn't give me a chance to say anything. You know that I care for you very much, and I know that you would never let anything happen to me. And you also know very well that I can take care of myself, I can do a mean bat-bogey hex any day," she said proudly.

"Ginny….you know what I mean. You would be a target, someone close to me that I care about. I couldn't live with myself if something happened to you, Ron and Hermione too for that matter."

Ginny's heart sank. "So I'm on the level of friendship only with you again." She said quietly, throwing down her destroyed flower and standing up. "I should've known that no one can touch the heart of our one true hero, Harry Potter."

"Ginny, it's for the best. You know that we cannot be together as long as Voldemort is alive."

"No, save your words. I get it now. And for the first time in my life, I don't think I have anymore hopes of us. This WAR you all talk about has destroyed everything." With that she marched out of the conservatory, leaving Harry standing defeated.

"If she only knew how I really felt…." Harry murmured and left behind her.

The next few weeks were a flourish of packing and shopping with caution. Instead of retreating to Diagon Alley for their normal school purchases, Molly had Ginny's Hogwarts supplies sent by owl mail catalogs. Molly, after some sensible coaxing from Harry and the trio, had finally let up and agreed to let Ginny return to Hogwarts. Ron and Hermione had decided to return also, they agreed that Harry needed to stay away from Hogwarts and continue alone on his search for the remaining horcruxes. Ron also thought that with him and Hermione there providing extra protection that Ginny would be safe.

Ginny told Ron that she thought he was a nosy git and reminded him of all the times she caught him unawares unable to defend himself against Fred and George's taunting and jokes.

On the day of departure at 9 ¾, Ginny said a heartfelt goodbye to Harry and turned her back on him what could be the last time. She watched Harry through the windows of the Hogwarts express, his figure growing fainter as the train began to pick up speed.

End Flashback

Ginny came out of her reverie in time to hear Hermione say that it was time to get into their robes and that she and Ron, head girl and boy would need to get to the front of the train to see to the first years. Ginny quickly put on her robes and as the train came to a complete stop, she, Luna, and Neville made their way off the train. It wasn't as slow a process as it usually was to get off, since the train wasn't very crowded. Ginny looked around for familiar Gryffindor faces and saw the back of Dean Thomas' head. As they finally made their way off the train, Luna led the troupe over to the horseless carriages and began to pet the thestrals. Ginny shivered and realized that she could see them. She warily crawled into the carriage.

"You saw them, didn't you," stuttered Neville. After the death eater fight months ago, Ginny was surprised that she could see the thestrals.

"I am surprised. I didn't think I saw anyone die during the battle. But during all the confusion, it's possible."

"Welcome to the death club," said Luna weirdly, "we are all proud to have a Weasley as a member."

"Sure Luna…" Ginny finished and glanced out the window. She took in the familiar landscape which last time had been a flood of destruction and fighting. She remembered drinking the Felix Felicis and fighting with every bit of energy she had alongside her friends, thinking of how Harry stood outside the castle watching Dumbledore….seeing where her thoughts were leading, she brought her attention back to Luna and Neville deep in conversation about something she saw in the Quibbler.

They finally drew up to the castle and went up the familiar steps into Hogwarts castle. Ginny looked around at the faces of the other older students who remembered all that had taken place in the last school year. She knew that the other students probably had fought tooth and nail with their own parents to let them come back. Her chest filled with pride at the thought of how important Hogwarts was to them. Her eyes slowly filled with tears as she followed into the Great Hall, going straight over to the Gryffindor table where a lot of familiar friends had decided to come back. She saw Seamus Finnegan, Dean Thomas, Lavender Brown, sans Parvati Patil who was rumored to attend another wizarding school outside of England. She also saw her good friend, Teresa Sherwood and ran over to her.

"Tess!!!!!"

"Ginny!"

"I have never been so happy to see you!" Ginny exclaimed and hugged her friend.

"What's wrong Ginny," said Tess, searching her friends face, "did something happen to Harry."

"What are you going on about him for? You know we've not been together for a while." She ignored her friend and went on, "So what did you do all summer!"

"What is HE doing here," Tess suddenly said glancing across the room. Ginny followed her eyes and spied the last person she thought would be here.

Draco Malfoy.

An anger rose up in Ginny, something like hatred rushed into her face which became very red. Malfoy stood poised against the wall, talking to a couple of Slytherin 6th years, looking very pleased with himself.

"Of all the bloody, foul gits…." Ginny spat out.

"Ginny, calm down," said Tess quickly, sensing Ginny's anger, sitting her down on a bench.

"Calm down my foot, he has ruined everything!" Ginny stood up and took her wand out of her robes. "I'll give him something he'll never forget."

Three things quickly happened. Ginny threw her bat-bogey hex and instead of hitting Malfoy, hit Pansy Parkinson who had just gone over to talk to Malfoy. Seeing her error, Ginny suddenly ran to the other side and held her wand quickly against Malfoy's neck.

"Harry should've done this ages ago," Ginny spat out and readied her wand for a curse.

Suddenly, she was thrown and her body hit the nearby Slytherin table. Just as she fainted, she saw a pair of silver eyes gazing at her…..

Hope you enjoy! Please review. This is just the start of Ginny/Draco action!!! I wonder why Draco is at Hogwarts?


End file.
